1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing method and an information processing apparatus with a printer driver, which generates print data to be output to an image forming apparatus, corresponding to a plurality of image forming apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is software called a printer driver for causing a printing device such as a printer to perform a print process by application software executed on the operating system. The setting of various print modes such as the selection of a paper cassette, the setting of a color processing method and the selection of a discharge method becomes possible with the printer driver.
Generally, the type of a printer driver is unique to a printing device, and a printer driver is provided for each printing device to maximize the performance of the printing device. Further, in a case where a plurality of printing devices are used simultaneously, printer drivers for every printing device have to be installed, or, in a case where the used printer is changed, changing the printer driver is necessary. Therefore, for easy management of a plurality of printing devices, there is a necessity for a printer driver that can mutually control a plurality of printing devices.
If there is such a printer driver, by installing just one printer driver it is possible to conduct printing in a plurality of printing drivers; moreover, the system need not be changed by changing the printing devices; therefore, system management is simplified.
However, in an office environment where multiple printing devices are being used, the printing device used for printing according to the print usage is often changed. As an example, in a case where large number of printing is conducted, the printing device is changed to a fast printing device; in a case where printing drafts, the printing device is changed to a black and white printer; and in a case where important document is printed, the printing device is changed to a high image quality color printer.
In the usual OS, the output port for each printer driver is assigned based on the control of the OS side. Therefore, in a case where the printing device is changed according to the usage, as mentioned above, while conducting the print setting over the printer driver, it is necessary to change the output port assigned to each printer driver at the OS side. In a case where changing this output port is forgotten, the printing might be outputted to an unintended printing device.
By making it possible to register combination of functions of the printing drivers, simplifying of the conduct of the print setting is being proposed (As examples Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-222159). However, in a case where the printing is needed to be changed according to the purpose, the combination of print setting and print device is needed to be confirmed.